Contents

Overview

Follow these instructions to easily setup X-COM: Enemy Unknown (1994) with a set of the best mods for fixing bugs, improving audio and video quality, and enhancing the game without losing the original feel. The core mod in this set is the excellent UFO Extender mod.

This should work with any Windows version of X-COM, which is included in the GamersGate and Steam distributions. If you have a "UFO Defense.exe" in your X-COM installation directory, you should be good.

NOTE: This page was written when version 1.27 of UFO Extender was the latest release. Further development of UFO Extender has change the layout and options in the UFOEXTENDER.INI file. As a result, those directions about the INI file have a strikethrough to indicate they may not apply.

Install X-COM: Enemy Unknown (1994)

However you do it, figure out where the X-COM installation directory of the Windows version is.

For Steam, it is at C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\XCom UFO Defense\XCOM

Create an "mp3" folder inside the "xcom" folder you created and download all these music files into it. This is better music from the PlayStation Port of X-COM. Note that you must have Windows Media Player for these to play in-game.

Verify

You should now have the following in the "xcom" folder you created on your desktop:

Combo_Patch.zip

mp3/*.mp3 (multiple files)

EUExtendedINI.txt

UFO_Voices_patch_new_version.zip

UFOLoader.zip

Modify

Move the Combo_Patch.zip file into the X-COM install folder and extract it. Say yes when it asks you to overwrite files. This fixes simple data bugs in various files that shipped with the original version of X-COM. NOTE: If you drag the zip into the folder, then right click "Extract All...", it may say "Create folder in /.../XCOM/x_combo_patch" or the like. Erase everything after "/XCOM/", otherwise it will mess up.

Extract UFO_Voices_patch_new_version.zip wherever you like, then:

Copy all the files in the SOUND subdirectory of the extracted folder over the files in the X-COM install folder SOUND subdirectory. This improves many of the sounds you will hear in game.

Do not do anything with the mp3play.dll file or the UFO Defense.exe in the extracted folder. The UFO Extender mod handles MP3 playback.

Extract all the files in UFOLoader.zip into the X-COM folder. This installs the UFO Extender mod.

Rename the "EUExtendedINI.txt" file you downloaded in your "xcom" directory to "UFOExtender.ini" and copy it into the X-COM install folder, overwriting the file that is there. This configures UFO Extender to fix bugs and improve game play without departing from original feel.

Copy the "mp3" folder you created and filled with MP3s into the X-COM install folder. This gives you the best music.

Make Shortcut

You will now launch X-COM using the UFOLoader.exe that came with the UFOLoader.zip file. Drag the UFOLoader.exe file to your desktop while holding down Alt (make sure you see the little arrow shortcut icon) and release.

Play

Double-click on the UFOLoader shortcut on your desktop.

Discuss

The config file you copy into your game folder includes all bug fixes and some improvements from UFO Extender that, according to community consensus, form a good starting point for new or returning players. By all means, take a look at this file, and edit it in your XCOM folder if you want to enable or disable different options (see UFO Extender page for description of options). Please join the discussion to discuss bugs and changes to the standard config file.

DLL Errors

You may need to install the Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable Package if UFOLoader.exe will not start because it cannot find a DLL. Simply download and double click on vcredist_x86.exe and try launching UFOLoader.exe again.